An Alexander Technique teacher is a specialized coach who helps you see into your blind spots, IMG_8707 webthe situations where you go on automatic. Private lessons offer personalized attention and feedback about your specific patterns and progress, helping you develop an improved baseline of body-mind organization.
Group classes provide valuable insights about the myriad ways we interfere with efficiency and ease, and students often find these helpful in maintaining the changes effected in private lessons. In both lessons and classes, the work is yours – you get to choose how and when to implement newly acquired knowledge and experience.
Private Lessons Group Classes In the Workplace
How many lessons do I need? alexanderasheville.com Alexander Technique and yogaYour goals and attentiveness determine your course of study. As in learning a new language, the beginning student often feels mystified and awkward before gaining confidence in a new way of thinking and moving.
A “primer” course of 6-12 lessons introduces you to the application of Alexander’s principles in your daily activities. A “proficiency” course of 30+ lessons empowers you to catch yourself in habit and choose a response that supports your whole well-being. There is no end to what you can learn; you could take one lesson a month for a lifetime and always discover more of who you can become.
How often? Designating a period of 50-100 days of focus gives your mind and nervous system time to recalibrate to a new way of responding in life. If you are serious about making changes in your posture and your response to life’s stresses, schedule two or three lessons a week for the first few weeks. After that, once a week will continue your progress at a new baseline of ease and coordination. Students with a strong foundation benefit from “tune-ups” or deeper explorations of a new/old activity on an as-needed basis, anywhere from once a week to once a month.
Location: My office is conveniently located at 35 Haywood St. in downtown Asheville, NC and has elevator access. Downtown parking is $1/hour.
Rates/Referrals: 50-minute lessons are $65; 30-minute lessons are $35. Save 10% on six lessons; save 20% for twelve lessons.
For every new student you refer to me, you get a free lesson (even if it’s your first!).
I accept payment by cash, check, or credit card (3% additional fee).
If you have questions about how many lessons would best serve you, or if you have financial or health concerns, please call me for a personal consultation: 828-712-2804.
Because this work is about exploring outside of your habitual patterns, a course of lessons may run the gamut from illuminating to confronting, confusing to comforting, difficult to fun. Imagine your reactions to:
-new awareness of old discomforts which can be physical/mental/emotional (a foot asleep only hurts when coming back awake)
-being asked to think deliberately, question what’s familiar, inquire into what’s possible with a beginner’s mind
-recognizing the boundless capacity of the body for recovery, improvement, ease
-becoming proficient with making choices that support your well-being
-experiencing a new way to be in your body, mind, and whole self
It is helpful to keep a journal of your lessons and insights. Physical and emotional changes can be subtle or profound as you explore and make discoveries with this new awareness in your daily life. Set aside at least 10-15 minutes every day to attend to the procedures outlined in your lessons, and you will see ongoing improvement.
It is not my place to tell you the “right” way to sit, stand, or move. Together we will reveal what is already happening that may be obstructing your free expression, and consider how you can help yourself experience more freedom.
My intention is always to create a safe space for inquiry and growth and your feedback is invaluable. I appreciate the courage and commitment it takes to open to these new ideas and ways of being.
Daniel Barber Asheville Alexander Technique“My work with Michèle has been surprisingly transformative, especially given the ease and the relative simplicity of her presentation of content. I now have new images in my awareness of how my body is structured and how it works that translate into a greater ease in my bearing and my movements. I feel I have a more friendly and functional relationship with gravity! No small thing this! Thank you, Michèle, for sharing your knowledge and wisdom so effectively, gracefully and enjoyably!” – Daniel Barber, musician
Group Classes Private Lessons In the Workplace
I teach seasonally at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute on the campus of UNC Asheville. Check the current schedule here: http://olliasheville.com/courses
Evaluations by attendees of my Spring 2015 course at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Evaluations by attendees of my Spring 2015 course at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
I also offer classes and private lessons to acting students at NYS3 with my colleague, Idelle Packer, M.AmSAT.
In the Workplace Private Lessons Group Classes
I offer workplace presentations to businesses that wish to support employee well-being for greater productivity and morale. I always customize these talks to the needs and interests of a given company, but the general outline follows:
Anatomy for the Workplace (1-3 hours)
Understanding your physical structure with accuracy means you can forego gadgets, fidgeting, and muscle strain to find real support. Transfer this knowledge everywhere in your life: driving, walking, working out.
Constructive Rest (30 minutes per 6 attendees, requires floor space and yoga mats)
Periodic breaks improve productivity by relieving mental and physical tension. Beyond stretching, re-set your body and mind with a portable, effective practice that leaves you clear of mind, breathing deeply, and taller too.
Personalized Assessment
Address the questions and needs of individuals at workstations, in the car, on the phone, public speaking, managing stress. Assess presentation and work patterns that prevent all aspects of peak performance. Structure and implement a re-training program to improve poise, coordination, confidence, receptivity, endurance, decision-making skills.
These three segments can be offered within a single half-day, or spread over the course of a week or even a month, with private coaching available the day of an event or subsequent and repeating. Repeat presentations deepen employee understanding and application for long-lasting improvement.
Please let me know if you’d be interested in supporting your employees with Alexander Technique’s documented, practical solutions for pain and stress. The Links tab above lists scientific research on the benefits of Alexander Technique, as documented by the British Medical Journal, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the French École Polytechnique, and more.